Gaza Schools ‘Vanish Into Thin Air’

The Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) Philippe Lazzarini said that more than 70% of the agency’s schools in Gaza have been destroyed or damaged, and the majority of them have become shelters crowded with hundreds of thousands of displaced families and cannot be used for education according to Wafa.

Lazzarini added in a post on X that “more than 600,000 children there are deeply traumatized, living in the rubble. They continue to be deprived of learning + schooling. Half of them used to be in UNRWA schools. The longer children stay out of school, the higher the risk of a lost generation, fueling resentment & extremism.”

“In Gaza, more than 70% of our schools are destroyed or damaged. The vast majority of our schools are now overcrowded shelters with hundreds of thousands of displaced families. They cannot be used for learning,” he added.

“With no ceasefire, children are likely to fall prey to exploitation including child labour and recruitment into armed groups. We have seen this way too often in conflicts around the world, let’s not repeat it in Gaza. A ceasefire is a win for all: it will allow respite for civilians, the release of the hostages + a flow of much needed basic supplies including for learning,” he was quoted as saying in the Palestinian news agency.

CrossFireArabia

CrossFireArabia

Dr. Marwan Asmar holds a PhD from Leeds University and is a freelance writer specializing on the Middle East. He has worked as a journalist since the early 1990s in Jordan and the Gulf countries, and been widely published, including at Albawaba, Gulf News, Al Ghad, World Press Review and others.

Related Posts

Bernie Sanders Says Israel is Despicable

Independent US Sen. Bernie Sanders sharply denounced Israel’s ongoing blockade of the besieged Gaza Strip, and its plan to greatly expand the war and occupy the coastal enclave.

“64 days with no aid reaching Gaza. No food, no water, no medicine. Children are starving,” Sanders said in a statement posted on X. “Netanyahu’s extremist government now says it will occupy Gaza and put mercenaries in charge of distributing aid, instead of the UN and other aid groups. Despicable. No more US support for Netanyahu’s war machine.”

Earlier in the day, Israel’s Security Cabinet unanimously approved a plan to expand its ongoing military onslaught on the Gaza Strip and occupy territories inside the enclave.

In a statement, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said the Cabinet approved “the operational plan” submitted by army chief Eyal Zamir to “defeat (Palestinian group) Hamas” and for the return of Israeli captives held in Gaza.

According to the statement, the plan requires the army “to conquer Gaza and hold the territory under its control.”

Israeli Channel 12 reported that the plan also includes the forcible relocation of Palestinians from northern Gaza to the south, according to Anadolu.

More than 52,500 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have been killed in Gaza in a brutal Israeli onslaught since October 2023.

In November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.

Continue reading

You Missed

Bernie Sanders Says Israel is Despicable

Bernie Sanders Says Israel is Despicable

Israeli Sadism

Israeli Sadism

Israel Starves Babies to Death

Israel Starves Babies to Death

Fires Continue to Rage in Israel

Fires Continue to Rage in Israel

Paris Exhibit Itches Out GAZA

Paris Exhibit Itches Out GAZA

Fires Rage in Israel

Fires Rage in Israel